No one likes to think about growing old, but it’s something to consider when planning for your future. We’re here to help.
Some people will require long-term care assistance to do basic daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, or moving from a bed to a chair. Long-term care insurance can help you pay for such support if the need arises.
Long-term care can be provided in:
- Your home
- Assisted living facility
- Nursing home
- Community programs like adult day care center
Some common conditions that might trigger need for long-term care:
- Recovery from surgery
- Injury, such as a broken hip
- Illness
- Stroke
- Frailty due to advanced age
- Alzheimer's Disease
Your personal risk of needing long-term care depends on many factors. Some of those are whether you are male or female, how long you live, your health history and whether you have a spouse or family member who can provide some of the care you may need.
Your Gender:
Because women have longer life spans than men do, they often out live their spouses. So, they are more likely to bear the financial burden of long-term care. Should long-term care become necessary, there often is no one at home to care for women, and they may need institutional care as a result.
Longevity:
The longer you live, the more likely it is that you will need long-term care. Those who live to be 95 years old or older are much more likely to have spent five or more years in a nursing home than those who die in their mid-70s.
Health Factors:
Certain health conditions, like Alzheimer’s or a stroke, can cause a need for long-term care. If you know that certain health conditions run in your family, you may have a greater risk of needing long-term care than another person of the same age and gender.
Married or Single:
If you have a spouse or other family member who can provide care, you are more likely to be able to remain in your own home when you need care. If family members are unable to provide care, and you cannot pay someone to take care of you, then a nursing home may be the only available option. The health condition that causes you to need care, and the severity of that condition, may determine whether you can be cared for at home or whether institutional care is the only option.
Long-term care benefits begin when a doctor certifies that you are functionally impaired. This means that you are unable to perform two or more of the Activities of Daily Living without continual assistance. These activities include:
- Ambulating – walking or managing a walker or wheel chair
- Bathing
- Continence
- Transferring – getting in and out of bed
- Dressing
- Eating
- Toileting
The failure to perform any two or more of the listed activities triggers the benefit payment. Functional impairment also includes Alzheimer's Disease and Senility Dementia.
The advantage of replacing an older policy is that new policies may offer more desirable benefits and features and fewer restrictions.
Inflation Protection and no requirements for a prior hospital stay are some of the benefits and features being offered in current long-term care products.
However, just because a policy is newer does not necessarily mean it is better than the one you have. Our personal insurance experts can help determine if there is a better insurance policy for you, or if you should stick with your current coverage.
Insurance and fixed annuities are offered through Solvay Bank Insurance Agency, Inc., a subsidiary of Solvay Bank. Insurance policies are obligations of the insurers that issue the policies. Solvay Bank Insurance Agency, Inc. is licensed to sell insurance in New York State and acts as agent for the issuing insurers.
Investment and insurance products • are not deposits • are not FDIC-insured • are not insured by any government agency • have no bank guarantee • may go down in value.